Raspberry Mascarpone Pavlova

For the pavlova:
Preheat oven to 275ºF and place the rack in middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment and draw a 7-inch circle with pencil and then flip the parchment over so the pencil side is down. Set aside.

In a clean, medium-sized metal bowl, beat egg whites with a clean electric mixer on medium speed. Beat until the whites form soft peaks (see note). Gently sprinkle sugar into egg whites, 1 teaspoon at a time. Continue to beat egg whites while adding all the sugar. Your egg whites should now be thick and glossy with stiff peaks. Sprinkle cornstarch and vinegar on the meringue and fold in gently with a plastic spatula. Add vanilla and gently fold the mixture again.

Now gently spread the meringue in the circle on the parchment to make a circular base. Make sure the edges of the meringue are slightly higher then the center so you have a very small well in the middle. Bake the meringue for about 45 minutes or until it turns a pale, pinkish egg shell color. Turn the oven off and leave the door slightly ajar to let the meringue cool completely. As the meringue cools, it will crack slightly.

Just before serving, take the meringue out of the oven and remove it gently from the parchment and place on a plate. (You can also cover and refrigerate the meringue base until you’re ready to serve it.)

For the mascarpone cream:
Whip cream until it forms peaks. Add sugar and vanilla and whip some more. Then gently fold in the mascarpone cheese. Gently spread the cream to the top of the meringue with a spatula.

For the raspberry sauce:
Put raspberries, water and sugar in a saucepan. Cover; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fruit is tender (8–12 minutes). Once it comes to a boil, take off heat and let cool complete.

Spoon over the mascarpone cream and arrange the fruit on top. Slice and enjoy!

Note: It is very important to have a very clean whisk and bowl. Also, make sure there is no hint of yolk in the whites, else it won’t rise to stiff peaks.